Category Archives: Student Business Partnership (SBP)

Employer Case Study: Disability Wales

Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, Law, Student Business Partnership (SBP), ,

Name of Organisation: Disability Wales

Description of Organisation: Disability Wales/Anabledd Cymru is the national association of disabled peoples organisations in Wales striving to achieve the rights and equality of all disabled people.

Name of Employer: Miranda Evans

Job Title: Policy and Programmes Manager

Internship Scheme used: Student Business Partnerships (SBPs) | Career Zone | University of Exeter

Feedback:

“Our intern’s ideas were very good. She drafted a calendar of events throughout the year, created a list of university contacts and produced a survey to go out to our members. She also contributed to discussions within the company and provided positive support.

We were pleased to be able to offer our intern a placement opportunity and we were pleased with the marketing resources she produced for us.”

Student Case Study: Saudi British Joint Business Council

Defence and Public Protection, Degree subject, Internship Schemes, Law and Legal Services, Politics and Government, Politics and International Relations, Sector, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , ,

Name of Student:  Sophie Wormley

Degree Subject:  BSc Politics and International Relations

Job Title: Membership and Marketing Assistant

Company Name:  Saudi British Joint Business Council

Description of Company: We are an independent and private sector-led body, which aims to develop and enhance business relations between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Through both its British and Saudi members and its Secretariat in London and Riyadh, the council offers a range of services and provides access to high-level governmental and private sector networks in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

Type of Internship:  Student Business Partnerships (SBPs) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Throughout this internship I have had many responsibilities including marketing events, recruiting new members, drafting the monthly newsletter and helped organise our big event.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

One output I produced was the monthly newsletter which I drafted each month, this would inform the members of any updates to our organisation as well as some news updates in Saudi Arabia. We would encourage members to take part in our upcoming events and it certainly increased the engagement. Another output I produced was marketing our organisation’s events on LinkedIn to increase awareness of not only our events but also our organisation to encourage new members to join. Through several posts, the organisation’s LinkedIn gained many followers.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

My biggest achievement was my input in ensuring the smoothness of the big event we ran. SBJBC hosted the ‘UK/Saudi Sustainable Investment Forum’ in mid July and it required a lot of effort in all areas. My role was to market the event as well as complete a lot of admin tasks including creating spreadsheets of the attendees and ensuring they had the relevant documents (ie. approval and Covid restrictions). As a result of my work, the event ran very smoothly and was well organised across all areas.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

I certainly felt shy at some points in the internship and lacked the confidence to talk on group calls. However, throughout the course of my internship I have made a considerable effort to improve on this. Through researching the events and asking questions, I now feel a lot more confident speaking on calls.

Skills Learnt:  

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
  • Decision Making

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“I have loved completing my internship this summer. Not only has it massively improved my confidence, it has given me many employability skills which will certainly help in the future. I have learned the importance of team work, especially working within such a small team as I have had constant communication with my colleagues. Although I may have felt shy at some points, I overcame this by asking questions and carrying out lots of research to ensure I felt confident speaking on calls.”

Student Case Study: Preston Street Films 

Advertising, Marketing and PR, Degree subject, History, Media, Publishing and Journalism, Politics and International Relations, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , ,

Name of Student:  Kathryn Offer

Degree Subject:  BA History & International Relations Study Abroad

Job Title:  Documentary Research Assistant

Company Name: Preston Street Films

Type of Internship:  Student Business Partnerships (SBPs) 

Description Of Company: Preston Street Films is a documentary film and branded content production company based in Exeter, Devon. The team combines decades of experience working for broadcasters such as the BBC, Al Jazeera, NBC and Channel 4 and a range of high profile brands and clients.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

My key duties and responsibilities during my internship were researching ideas for documentaries, researching and getting in contact with archives for documentary footage.
I also researched for potential companies to make short-form documentaries for as well as,  helping with filming as a runner and getting in contact with people.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

The outputs and outcomes I delivered for my employer was where I produced a list of potential companies to liaise with. I gave ideas for new projects and got in contact with people to appear in documentaries.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I got to work as a runner and see a project through from the researching phase, to completion. I researched the history of table manners for a documentary, contacted people to appear, and then helped with the filming itself.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

It would have been great if my contract could have been extended. But there was limited funding for this.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Negotiation
  • Persuasion
  • Problem Solving
  • Leadership
  • Customer Service

Attributes Developed:

  • Researching
  • Networking
  • Degree Specific
  • Commercial Awareness
  • Confidence

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“I genuinely loved every moment of working with Preston Street Films. I felt I gained so much experience, in so many areas during the placement, and it was such a great opportunity to experience something outside my general academic focus. I could not recommend it enough to anyone else considering a similar route. Everyone at Preston Street Films made me feel so welcome, and was so supportive of my applications to similar schemes after it ended. If there was greater funding in place to extend my contract this would have made it even better.”

 

Student Case Study-Ridgeway Information Ltd

Access to Internships (A2I), Degree subject, History, Internship Schemes, Language and Translation, Management and Consultancy, Politics and International Relations, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , , , ,

Name of Student:  Umaira Navaid

Degree Subject: BA History and Politics, MA Applied Security and Strategy

Job Title:  Research Intern

Company Name:  Ridgeway Information Ltd

Type of Internship:  Access to Internships (A2I), Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)

Description of Company: We work with major corporates, not-for-profit and public sector organisations. Our current and previous clients include the United Nations, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the European Union, the UK Gambling Commission, multinationals and private clients. We give our clients the confidence to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, tackle challenges and understand the landscapes they inhabit. We do this by providing verifiable insight gained through expert research and analysis of client-supplied and open sources.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

My key duties and responsibilities were to help research and write reports on nuclear proliferation. I also created resources for some of the training schemes the company provides.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

I produced a report for the IAEA on Pakistan’s nuclear complex using my Urdu language skills. I also helped produce two other reports on Taiwan and Jordan. I planned and produced a short activity for people who undertake the OSINT course with Ridgeway. My skills in Urdu led the IAEA to have a better understanding of what is being written and posted about nuclear ongoings in Pakistan.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I was tasked with researching and writing about Pakistan and its new Nuclear Complex from sources in Urdu. I was able to read and translate sources that would have otherwise been unusable. I wrote a report summarising my findings.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

It was difficult to find much information at first and I spent many days without any relevant information. However, with further encouragement, I was later able to find better details and make the most of my findings.

Skills Learnt 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Communication
  • Team Work and Collaboration
  • Problem Solving
  • Time and Work Load Management

Attributes Developed 

  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Perseverance

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“My internship was both fun and hard work. My colleagues were extremely friendly and the Access to Internship team is super helpful. I worked on a number of projects with Ridgeway and was impressed with the amount of autonomy I was given during my time here. I was also given good career and life advice and feel like I have a better idea of what I want to do in the future and my options.”

Student Case Study- Planet Earth Games

Access to Internships (A2I), Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Business and Management, Hospitality and Event Management, Internship Schemes, Politics and International Relations, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , , , ,

Name of Student:  Dominic Hughes

Degree Subject: BA Politics with Study Abroad

Job Title:  Marketing and Communications Officer

Company Name:  Planet Earth Games

Type of Internship:  Access to Internships (A2I), Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)

Description of Company: Young people and adults are more concerned over climate change and its effects on the natural environment than at any other time. At the same time, inactivity and obesity are at record levels. We are a not-for-profit organisation who passionately believe in the symbiotic relationship between the environment and human activity.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

My key duties were the management of digital platforms and to develop content for digital platforms. I was also responsible for website management, including regular updates as well as, PR and Communications, including media relations and generating media coverage.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

The outputs and outcomes I delivered for my employer was strong digital engagement on all platforms and I drove event sales towards minimum of 60% occupancy.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

Being involved in the launch of the first ever Planet Earth Games, our team sought press coverage in the lead up to the event and also media coverage on the day. The task was to contact media organisations with press releases and invites to the event. We were delighted as a BBC representative attended on the day.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

It proved really difficult to convert digital engagement to event sign ups, particularly filling boys football teams and tennis teams. As a result, we were forced to drop boys football and tennis from the schedule.

Skills Learnt 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Communication
  • Enterprise
  • Problem Solving
  • Decision Making

Attributes Developed 

  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Perseverance
  • Motivation
  • Personal Awareness

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“I cannot recommend the Access to Internship scheme enough. Chris Broadbent, the CEO of Planet Earth Games, has worked in media and marketing for many years and was fantastic to work with. We worked to deliver a meaningful project – the world’s first environment themed multi-sport event.”

Employer Quote:

“Working with the University internship scheme was transformational for our growing organisation and allowed us to deliver a highly ambitious event with very little resources.” – Chris Broadbent

Student Case Study:  The Eden Project

Access to Internships (A2I), Charity and Development Work, Education, Education, Teaching and Research, English, Geography, History, Internship Schemes, Science, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , , , ,

Name of Student:  Max Parkin

Degree Subject: BA History – Cornwall

Job Title:  Research Writer Intern

Company Name:  The Eden Project

Type of Internship:  Access to Internships (A2I), Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)

Description of Company: The Eden Project, an educational charity, connects us with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work towards a better future. Our visitor destination in Cornwall, UK, is nestled in a huge crater. Here, massive Biomes housing the largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, exhibitions and stories serve as a backdrop to our striking contemporary gardens, summer concerts and exciting year-round family events.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

To research specific briefed environmental/social/sustainable topics for the Eden Project as directed by the Director of Interpretation. To write, summarise and authenticate research documents and storylines with references. And/or to write final copy across a range of media using Eden’s house style and brand guidelines.

Key accountabilities (depending on area the student wishes to gain experience in):
1. To research specific briefed topics using literature searches and by communicating with organisations and experts in the field, working to set deadlines.
2. To write master files (as laid out in the Eden guidelines) on specific briefed topics with full list of references.
3. To write compelling storylines, narrative and content briefs to enable interpretation of specific subjects across a wide range of media.
4. To write final copy for specific exhibits, events, digital and web content and publications using Eden’s house style and brand guidelines.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

The main task for the interpretation department at that time was Eden’s summer content – Earth Story. I was asked to research in detail Megafaunal extinction during the end of the last Ice Age and the potential human involvement. The end result was a detailed document which was then used to help the graphics team produce an extinction timeline which can now be seen in the Earth Story exhibit at Eden.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I was given a topic I had 0 previous knowledge of – Megafauna. I was asked to produce a detailed research document and became an ‘expert’. My research was verified by Natural History Museum Professor, Adrian Lister and played an instrumental role in producing content which is now displayed in one of Britain’s top visitor attractions. 

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

Initially, it was difficult to get to grips with my task, my progress was slow to start – I made sure to communicate well with Sarah, my boss, and ask lots of questions when I became lost.

Skills Learnt 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Communication
  • Team Work and Collaboration
  • Problem Solving
  • Time and Work Load Management

Attributes Developed 

  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Perseverance
  • Motivation
  • Personal Awareness

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“Working with the Eden Project for my internship was highly rewarding, exciting and eye opening. I became an ‘expert’ in a topic I’d never even heard of before, I met some great people and a future career path.”

Student Case Study – Roly’s Fudge

Access to Internships (A2I), Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Business and Management, Hospitality and Event Management, Information Technology, Internship Schemes, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , , , ,

Name of Student:  Annabel Ilic

Degree Subject: BSC Management with Marketing

Job Title:  Communications Assistant Intern

Company Name:  Roly’s Fudge

Type of Internship:   Access to Internships (A2I), Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)

Description of Company: Originating from Devon in the West Country over 30 years ago, we now have independently-run family fudge pantries across the UK. Each shop uses traditional recipes to make fresh fudge every day, handmade in full view for you to see.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

During my internship I created blog posts and social media posts. I also produced newsletters and general marketing (with a focus on re-branding and the environment and sustainability).

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

The key outputs and outcomes I delivered for my employer was producing blog posts and social media posts to gain more exposure. I created two newsletters which were a huge success. The first being opened by 1352 people and the second by 1445 people.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I was asked to help with the re-branding of the business, focusing on the ‘faces of Roly’s Fudge’ (the families who own different franchises). I had to create profiles for each owner, using Canva and help to create the webpage for it on WordPress. Whilst this is still a work-in-progress, my manager is very happy with what I have done and it has been a very intrinsically motivating task as well. It has provided me an outlet to show what I have learnt during my internship and hope in the future it will help change people’s perceptions of the business.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

Nothing notable. Sometimes time-management was difficult and I found myself running out of tasks, but by communicating my thoughts and giving feedback to my manager, everything was resolved.

  Skills Learnt 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Leadership
  • Time and Work Load Management
  • Organisation

  Attributes Developed 

  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Perseverance
  • Motivation

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from my internship, but I have absolutely loved it. This experience has provided me with many useful skills that I will no doubt use in the future. After opting out of my industrial placement, it has given me a real boost of confidence and reassured me that I have the ability to be effective in the workplace. Better still, I was given the flexibility of working from home so it complimented my university studies well. I would recommend this scheme to anyone who is looking for meaningful experience and an insight into what ‘real life’ work is all about.”

Employer Quote:

“I was really pleased with the service from the internships team, who guided us through every step, advertising for the role and even helping with funding.  We took on two interns who were keen to learn and were so pleased with them that we offered them further work with us.” – Dannee McGuire (Director)

Student Case Study: Bitpod

Access to Internships (A2I), Advertising, Marketing and PR, Business and Management, Graphic Design, Internship Schemes, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , , , ,

Name of Student:  Alicia Shelford 

Degree Subject: BSC Management with Marketing WIE

Job Title:  Marketing Intern (Social Media)

Company Name: Bitpod

Type of Internship:   Access to Internships (A2I), Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)

Description of Company: We’re an award-winning video marketing company based in Exeter. We get excited about helping clients to grow their businesses by capturing what makes them unique. The Bitpod approach is based on taking the time to understand your aims before deciding on the best way to achieve them. That’s why we’ve built lasting relationships with many of our clients. With a background in marketing and web development, we’re always thinking about how video fits into the bigger picture of your marketing strategy.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

– Presenting an 8 part informative video series for social media distribution, educating prospective clients on how to make video content.

– Writing and editing scripts for each video, and generating animation and graphic ideas to be implemented in editi           

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

Outputs – 8 part video series currently in post-production ready to be released to social media channels to drive new client engagement.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

Having never managed a project from idea to completion, this internship gave me the chance to have complete ownership and accountability over the product and its outcome. I was tasked with writing the script for each video idea based on an initial briefing with my manager, and from there I generated the animations and gestures to be incorporated during filming. This meant that I had the freedom to be creative with the way in which the message was delivered, and as a result each video was successfully filmed and delivered on time each week, and with the creative flare that was needed in order to engage with the audience.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

Having never been particularly strong with writing, especially to an audience, it was difficult to understand who the audience was and what tone of voice would work best when trying to talk directly to them. It was often out of my comfort zone to think about an audience that I was not directly familiar with. It was also difficult to time manage, as so much had to be done in one day – having a briefing, then writing and editing a script, and then filming the actual footage. However with the help of my team with idea generation and second eye to look over what was written, we were able to successfully achieve all that we needed to in the allocated time frames.

Skills Learnt 

  • Problem Solving
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Leadership
  • Focus on goals and outcomes
  • Ability to work under pressure

Attributes Developed 

  • Researching
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Logical thinking
  • Motivation

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“Overall a really great experience that allowed me to try something new and develop existing skills. I was able to meet like-minded and passionate people who taught me valuable skills and will be connections for my future career. I was offered an extension on my internship which I took up and thoroughly enjoyed.”

Student Case Study: Regency Wines 

Access to Internships (A2I), Business and Management, Economics, Graphic Design, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , , ,

Name of Student:  Reubin Bhogal 

Degree Subject: BSC Business Economics WIE

Job Title:  Graphic Designer

Company Name: Regency Wines

Type of Internship:  Access to Internships (A2I), Student Business Partnerships (SBPs)

Description of Company: Regency Wines is a family-owned regional wine merchant dedicated to sourcing and supplying wines and spirits to the licensed trade. We are proud to be different to most drinks companies. We are a specialist wine and spirit merchant, with a passion for great customer service.

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Creating and preparing a brochure for Regency Wines to advertise their available spirits to their clients.      

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

Designed guidelines and master pages for the brochure including guidance on the fonts, layout, and colours in and InDesign document.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

Regency Wine wanted a professional but engaging design to promote their spirits to clients – I was therefore asked to conceptualise and explore design ideas for the brochure. I collected and asked relevant questions to my boss and the team to uncover the theme and design style that may be most appropriate for the use-case before presenting back multiple ideas to the team – iterating on these designs after reviewing feedback. As a result we were able to land on a design that was appropriate for the business and all team members could agree on.

Skills Learnt 

  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Negotiation
  • Focus on goals and outcomes
  • Ability to work under pressure

Attributes Developed 

  • Researching
  • Creative thinking
  • Customer Service
  • Confidence
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

“My internship at Regency Wines involved conceptualising and designing a brochure for the company to advertise their spirits to prospective clients. The experience involved providing my insights and advice regarding appropriate design practice before delivering design concepts for the team to consider. This then translated into setting up an InDesign document to effectively present and highlight Regency’s products.”

Employer Case Study: Spoton.net Limited 

Advertising, Marketing and PR, Degree subject, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, Student Business Partnership (SBP), , , , ,

Name of Organisation:   Spoton.net Limited 

Description of Organisation: Established in 2008, we’re an experienced and creative web design company with a specialist team of website design, web development, and technical support experts. 

As a franchise, we’re able to offer our web design services to businesses throughout the UK and Ireland via our network of local consultants. Every website is then created by the team here in Devon. 

Name of Employer:  Amy Cross-Webber 

Job Title: Marketing Manager 

Internship Scheme used:  SBP 

Student Business Partnership (SBP) – Employment Services – University of Exeter 

Feedback:  

We recruited an intern as Marketing Assistant. She researched and written several blog posts that are published on itseeze.com – many have a high number of views and lengthy read times and exit rates suggesting people coming to our site and engaged by these blog posts written by our brilliant Exeter student. 

I honestly cannot fault our intern and everything she did. Our intern wished to continue studying – otherwise she is highly employable, and we would have certainly considered offering her a full-time role and still hope to in the future. 

We had a very positive experience – our intern proved to be a highly valuable member of our team. Her work ethic and creative writing skills impressed us from the outset. She fitted in perfectly with our team. We are incredibly grateful to have her as part of our team for the past 9 months – an absolute asset.